Dirty Harry Cooks - Brandied Maple Soufflé

Soufflé always makes me laugh and puts me in a good mood.  Laughter being the best medicine and all.  You see, as crazy as it sounds, I always hear Clint Eastwood in the back of my head, saying, "Go ahead....  Make my Soufflé!" 

I am primarily a savory soufflé baker, except for my Butternut Souffle, but I was really in the mood for something a little more desert-y. It's an extremely simple formula and can be easily changed up.  This just happens to be the Brandy and Maple rendition, but these ingredients can be swapped out for such things as Orange Blossom Honey and Grand Marnier or Canton.... Maybe a little Lime juice and some Rum (sort of a fluffy Mojito)  Let your creativity run wild!

It has become obvious to me that I need some high sided soufflé dishes, or more ramekins to divide the batter between.  Things got a little out of control this time.  :)

Brandied Maple Soufflé  

4 4-inch high sided souffle dishes (or 6 4-inch ramekins)
Unsalted Butter (for the ramekins/souffle dishes)
1/2 cup Granulated Sugar, divided
4 large Egg Yolks
2 TB Grade B Maple Syrup (B has more flavor than A)
3 TB Apple Brandy (You can use regular Brandy or Cognac too)
5 large Egg Whites
Pinch of Kosher Salt
for serving - Unsweetened whipped Heavy Cream (or hit it with a little more brandy)

Preheat the oven to 400F degrees.
Smear the inside of the ramekins with butter, then sprinkle a little of the 1/2 cup of sugar into each ramekin to coat the bottom and sides.

In a large bowl, beat the Egg yolks slightly, then begin sprinkling the remaining sugar (the sugar left over from "dusting" the ramekins as well)

When the Sugar is dissolved and the yolks are pale and "ribbony", add the Maple syrup and beat well.

Add the Brandy, a little at a time, until completely incorporated.

In a separate bowl, beat Egg Whites with a pinch of salt,

until they reach stiff peaks.

Add a spatula full to the yolk mixture and simply stir it in to lighten the mixter for easier folding.

Fold in the remaining Egg Whites in 3 additions.

Divide the batter between the ramekins/souffle dishes.

Run your finger or thumb around the inside edge, creating a "ravine". this forces the sides of the souffle to rise up straight.

Place the ramekins in the preheated oven and bake for 15-20 minutes,

until well browned on the top. (as well as well risen) ;)

Allow to cool for about 10 minutes, then serve with a dollop of unsweetened whipped Heavy Cream.

Mangia!!
~~

The Fall of Man - Chocolate Soufflé Cookies

To me, there is nothing quite so primal to the senses as a fresh baked cookie. True, you can walk into a grocery store and purchase prepackaged cookies, but it just isn’t the same. I will concede that Pepperidge Farm “distinctive” cookies are pretty good, but they still pale in comparison to the “fresh baked” phenomenon that is a homemade cookie.

Come on, you know what I am talking about. The fragrance that wafts gently through the house, preceding the blast of heavenly aroma that emanates from the fire box when you open the door and remove that blessed sheet pan full of decadent deliciousness. The temptation begins as you move them, ever so carefully, to the cooling rack and wait… wait… wait… Until they are JUST cool enough so you don’t remove a layer of taste buds from your mouth. To distract yourself, you pour a tall glass of frosty milk (or a steaming cup of Joe) and still you wait…. and wait…. Until you finally can’t take it anymore; you must, must, must have one.

Thus, temptation wins, but you don’t care because you are thoroughly and completely enraptured. The stress and strain of the everyday world fall away… and it’s just you and your cookie.

I am thoroughly convinced that it was a freshly baked cookie that caused the “fall of man”. I mean come on… an apple? Really? No, I think not… Cookies man, it was totally cookies.

And I am fairly sure, for all you choco-holics out there, that these may be the culprit. They’re devilishly rich and chocolaty with a delicately crisp exterior harboring a dense and chewy center.
Oh yeah baby!!!! I would sell my soul for a plate of these.

Chocolate Soufflé Cookies

6 oz (172 g) Bittersweet 62% Chocolate
a couple drops of Orange Oil
2 large Egg Whites
Pinch of Kosher Salt
1/8 tsp Cream of Tarter
1/2 tsp Vanilla Extract
1/4 cup (1.75 oz) (50g) Granulated Sugar
2/3 cup (3 oz) (85 g) Almonds, ground fairly fine

Preheat the oven to 350 F (175 C) degrees......

Place chopped Chocolate in a bowl and add a little Orange oil (not extract or the chocolate will seize)

Place the bowl over simmering water and melt the chocolate, then set aside.

In a medium bowl, beat Egg Whites with Cream of Tarter, Vanilla Extract and a pinch of salt to soft peaks.

Gradually beat in the Granulated Sugar and continue whipping egg whites to stiff peaks.

Fold in the ground Almonds,

Then fold in the cooled Chocolate.

Spoon or pipe small “Buttons” of the batter on a parchment lined baking sheet, leaving 1 inch between the mounds to allow for spreading and puffing.

Bake for 10-12 minutes or until shiny and cracked on the top.

Allow to cool on the baking sheet for about 5 minutes before moving to a cooling rack.

Now it is time to dive into the chocolaty goodness….

Cross over to the Dark Side, we have cookies.

Mangia!!
~~

Decadent Deflated Dessert - Fallen Chocolate Soufflé Cake

I was watching Laura Calder the other day and she made this decadent looking chocolate cake for one of her friends, along with these delicious looking Aubergine Charlottes which I REALLY want to try.  She has become one of my favorite chefs on the Cooking Channel.  I love her no-fuss approach to "French" cooking.  After all, not everyone in France eats "haute cuisine" all the time.   I mean let's get real here.

I was intrigued by her interpretation of "flourless chocolate cake".  I have tried several recipes in the past and attempted to choke them down in multiple restaurants as well.  Each time I have been terribly disappointed. Darn good thing I am not gluten intolerant, or I would forever be denied a decent chocolate cake.

Well, I tried her "Craggy Chocolate Cake" recipe and I am forever in love.  It's like a soufflé, yet like a brownie, yet like the most rich an decadent chocolate cake you ever tasted.  Completely and totally divine.  My only suggestion, for those wishing to try this recipe, is to forgo the Whipped Cream and invest in a little Crème Fraîche;  SO much more luscious, especially with a little orange zest.  YUM!

Though she calls it a "Craggy Chocolate Cake", I really like to think of this as an intentionally failed soufflé, for it is, at it's basic level, a soufflé recipe; minus an egg white or two.  Collapsed though it may be, I find this to be genius, for if I had known that a fallen chocolate soufflé would be this awesome, I would have been practicing purposeful deflation a long time ago.  I mean, talk about making a purse out of a sows ear!  Utterly Brilliant!

The recipe is SO simple too, especially due to the lack of a couple egg whites.  All you have to remember is 200.  200 grams of this and 200 grams of that.  I know, I know, we don't normally measure eggs by grams, especially when you have to separate them.  But 4 large whole eggs averages 200 grams, without the shells of course, cause that would add a decidedly unpleasant "crunch" to the soufflé.

Laura Calder's Craggy Chocolate Cake

(Fallen Soufflé Cake)

200 g 70% Bitter Chocolate, chopped (about 7 oz)
4 eggs Large Eggs, separated
200 g Cultured Butter
200 g Granulated Sugar, divided (this is about 1 cup minus 1 tsp)
Pinch of Kosher Salt (my own addition)

For Serving:

8 oz Crème Fraîche
3 TB Confectioners' Sugar
Zest of 1/2 Orange
1 tsp Cointreau or Gran Marnier
Orange Zest Strips

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees (on my oven 350 degrees worked better); line an 8-inch springform pan with parchment then grease and flour the pan.

Chop the chocolate,

and separate the eggs.

Place chopped chocolate in a saute pan, over low heat and allow to melt.

Once melted, add the butter and stir until smooth, then remove from the heat and set aside.

 Combine Egg Yolks and 1/2 cup (100 g) of the sugar in a small bowl.

Beat the Yolks and Sugar until they reach the ribbon stage (when the beaters are lifted, a wide ribbon of yoll falls into the bowl)

Add a spoon of the warm chocolate mixture to the yolks and whisk it in (this will help to condition the yolks and prevent scrambled eggs)

Once the yolk mixture has been warmed, go ahead and add the remaining melted chocolate and whisk until thick and delicious looking. ;)

In a large bowl (I prefer copper) whisk the egg whites with a pinch of salt (cause it helps denature the proteins and provides balance to the flavor)

Once you reach soft peaks, begin sprinkling in the remaining 1/2 cup (100g) of sugar and whip until a lovely glossy French Meringue is formed. (this is stiff peaks)

Add about 1/2 cup of the Meringue to the chocolate mixture and stir it in, this will lighten it a little and make the remaining folding a little easier.

Add the now lightened chocolate mixture to the remaining Meringue and fold until well blended.

Pour the batter into the prepared spring-form pan.

Bake for 50-55 minutes.

Remove from the oven and set on a cooling rack.

Use a small icing spatula or a knife to release the edge of the cake from the pan, allowing it to contract and crack.

Allow to cool and enjoy the show as the souffle sinks and cracks like a volcanic landscape.

As far as serving goes, you can serve with whipped cream if you like, but I decided that since I always talk about how wonderful Crème Fraîche is, I should probably blog a little about it.

Ya see, Crème Fraîchee, unlike American Sour Cream or Mexican Crema, will actually whip, just like heavy cream.  Granted, it won't be quite as light as whipped cream, but it's just SO delicious! Sooooooooo....

Place Crème Fraîche, Orange Zest, Confectioners' Sugar and Cointreau in a small bowl.

Put the spurs to it!  (whisk or beat until it becomes fluffy)

It's that easy....

Now add a healthy spoonful to the top of a slice of this delicious cake....  YUM!

Mangia!!
~~

P.S.  Please note the new "Print Friendly" button at the bottom of this post.  This will allow you to print just the text of this post alleviating the need for me to create a "site" link to a separate location for a print friendly recipe.